Maison Rustique

Now I'm craving hot dogs!!

Yes, I'm beginning to think that I should look on it more as a countertop and just put a cutting board down on it if I want to use it that way. Probably safer and certainly cheaper than needing to replace the island every so often because the top is warped.

I am looking for a small rolling kitchen island for the new house in order to expand my storage/prep space. It needs to be small and fairly inexpensive. I find no stores in the area that have more than one style in the store to see, so I need to order online. I am going to show my ignorance here. I kept rejecting many that looked good because it said the cutting board top was rubber wood. I thought they meant it was some sort of manufactured fake wood-look thing. I finally Googled it and discovered that it actually is wood and is supposed to be sustainable, etc. My question is, do any of you have experience with a rubber wood cutting board? I don't want to buy it thinking I can use it as a cutting board, only to find that it isn't really a good choice for that purpose.

Saturday, my sis and BIL brought me more home-grown tomatoes. Sadly, they were already badly split and very soft. I had one Saturday night and there is another I can slice to eat if I use it quickly. The rest, I peeled and chopped the best I could (not easy when they are so soft). I put in a little EVOO, some shallot, garlic, seasonings and capers and had it over gemelli (because there was a little left in the package and I want it gone). I failed to keep up with photos after I added stuff but this is the beginning.

My sis and BIL were here to help with packing/moving some things. They brought me overly ripe home grown tomatoes--the heat and extreme rain we had in a short period of time got them splitting quickly. I'd planned to have a bowl of soup that a friend had brought me, but the weather was so stinking hot and humid that after working all day, I only wanted something cold. Had some tomato, couple of zesty dill spears and giardineira (Why can't I ever spell it right?). It was perfect--cold and light. My friend also brought some banana bread that has Heath bar and chocolate chips, but I'll have it in a bit if I can cool down enough after a shower. And need to peel and chop the other tomatoes to use in a pasta sauce because they are too far gone to slice.

@YvetteMT That blend looks yummy. I would keep some in the freezer to add to some stock to make an instant soup!

I hope I've finally found and moved all the cookbooks to the new place. Every time I think I've hauled over the last box of them, I find another stack of books I left somewhere after browsing through them. These are just thrown onto the shelves--no order to them and right now, they are 2 rows deep. It will take a while to get them all organized. I hope I have enough room!!

@jedovaty, I absolutely adore tarragon. I seldom find it fresh. Looking forward to getting moved and hope to be back to growing herbs next year.

During all the packing and prepping for moving, I found a box of cookbooks that I'd packed in 2009 and it never got unpacked when we moved here! I made myself wait until I got it to the new place before I opened it. It had the cookbook with the recipe I have searched high and low for for several years! This was what I was making for 13 people when I first spilled the apples all over the floor. Then when Don went to buy more, goose fat dripped in the oven and started a fire. Don got home to every door and window open, smoke alarm blasting, dog barking and me nearly in tears. I got the fire out immediately, goose was unharmed and it was a delicious dinner after all. Not sure I'd make it again. It was a lot of work. I had working hands and a lot more energy back then!

I hadn't intended to have pizza this week. But when I went to Sprouts for bread, I spied the brand of frozen pizza I loved that I used to get from my milkman. The dairy hasn't carried it in a very long time and I've not found it elsewhere. So, they had the brand but only cheese-stuffed crust. I decided to give it a try. The crust is the same crust I fell in love with. Just has cheese in it. But not so much that it is greasy or gooey. I added a few pepperoni because I have some in the freezer to use up and sprinkled a bit of cheese over. I'm delighted and hope Sprouts continues to carry it!

I finally got to the grocery store and bought a fresh loaf of bread. I made and downed a delicious BLT so fast that I didn't take pix.

My sis & BIL brought me more home-grown tomatoes so I was looking forward to a BLT. I cooked enough bacon for a couple of days since I'm tight on time these days. I pulled out my bread and it was much too stale for a sandwich. I cut it up and fried in bacon grease and butter to make croutons. Only got a photo of the croutons because when I went to cut the tomato, I sliced my finger good. Been a very long time since I've cut myself that badly. Thought I'd never get it to stop bleeding--have about 9 band-aids on it. It is OK this morning I think. I'll unwrap it later and re-do. Anyway, I had my salad but it was just not as delicious with a cut finger.

Here in the mid-west, those ginormous burger creations seem to be all the rage. But then this tends to be the land of huge portions, all-you-can-eat, etc. Explains much about the obesity epidemic. And while we're on it, what's up with entire meals served on top of a Bloody Mary? Is there even a drink under all that food?

I had odds/ends to use up so concocted a very small salad. Chopped potato, tomato, cucumber, celery, onion marinated in dill pickle juice and a splash of vinegar. Then added a bit of EVOO and s/p. Had it with an air-fried chicken breast strip that I was glad to get out of my freezer.

@Rodi My arthritic hands no longer allow me to knead bread. I use my bread machine for mixing/kneading/rising, then take the dough out, shape by hand and bake in the oven. Much prettier loaves and still saves on the work!